


Dad

by WritLarge



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Father Figure, Father's Day, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 18:52:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2239671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritLarge/pseuds/WritLarge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophie and Aster relationship fluff. The title should give you a clue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dad

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted as part of my set of JackRabbit Week fills but I felt the need to revise it, so I’m posting it again separately.

Chaos reigned supreme during art time in Kindergarten classroom #2. Lee had already snatched up the pair of scissors they were supposed to share and attacked his paper, while Sophie stared down at hers with a frown. Normally she loved art. Painting, drawing, clay and more, Sophie was always first to finish cleaning up so she could begin art time. Today she’d dragged her feet.

“Sophie, do you need some help getting started?” Ms. Walker squatted down next to her at the craft table, the silvery buttons on her blue blouse gleaming. Her classmates were busy all around. They each had a set of letters and shapes, mounds of stickers piled in the centre for them to share. There were even glitter shakers. The same brown card stock had been set out for everyone. 

She didn’t know what to say and instead slumped down in her blue plastic chair. Maybe Ms. Walker would let her go to the reading corner?

“You know,” her teacher began softly, when Sophie didn’t answer, “Father’s Day is about more than having a Dad.”

Sophie understood that. She’d listened during circle time when Ms. Walker had explained that they could make their card for anyone, not just Dads. Grandpas, Uncles, Stepdads or even Moms were all fine too. Sophie didn’t have any of those and had already made her Mom a card. The heart filled, sticker encrusted Mother’s Day creation still held the place of pride on their fridge at home.

The Bennett family was small with just the three of them. She could never remember it being any different. Sophie didn’t have any grandmas or grandpas or aunts and uncles, not that her mom would say, and they never talked about her dad. Jamie always ignored her when she asked about Daddy and got mad if she tried to ask Mom. She knew that her dad had left and was never coming back, but Sophie didn’t remember him at all. She was pretty sure Jamie did, at least a little. 

Stupid Father’s Day. Emilio was making a card for his abuelo and Gretchen had two dads, one who lived with her and one who didn’t. It wasn’t fair.

Sophie looked up when her teacher continued speaking.

“It’s about someone in your life who supports you, who cares for you and helps you be the best Sophie you can be. Whoever that is, family or not, make the card for him. Okay?”

“Okay,” she answered. The best Sophie she could be? The words made her think. She’d heard that before. Her teacher’s words lit a spark of hope inside her. Sophie smiled and grabbed a glue stick. 

She knew exactly who to make the card for now. 

*****

Jack found Bunny in the Warren, sitting pensively under a tree. Easter had passed some time ago and it looked like the clean up was done. Jack enjoyed spending time there. It was never too hot in the Warren and he could come and go as he pleased since Bunny had granted him full access last winter. He might’ve been able to get his own room too if he’d asked, which he hadn’t, because when would he ever use it? Bunny’s was plenty big enough for the both of them. 

“Hey.” He threw himself down next to Aster. Bunny had crashed hard post-Easter and a week of sleep later had been reenergized and uncharacteristically amorous. Not that Jack was complaining, but as much fun as it had been he had needed to cool down afterwards. It didn’t hurt that he’d been able to avoid a lot of the clean up either. Bunny had eggy minions for that. Jack had finally gotten around to exploring the glaciers in New Zealand.

“Hey yourself, Snowflake.” A small sad smile graced his face. Aster’s ears lay against his head and he leaned into Jack. Looking his lover over, nothing seemed amiss, but then Jack noticed something in his hand. It was a Father’s Day card.

“Huh,” he said, peering at it. “Is there something you need to tell me?” Jack grinned, quick and confused.

“It’s from Sophie.” Aster answered. “Must be scraping the bottom of the barrel to be handing it over to me.”

“Really?”

“Oi!” Bunny exclaimed when Jack snatched the card from him. It was lovingly decorated. The letters weren’t quite in order and there was an abundance of puffy flower stickers, not to mention glitter. So much glitter. His lap was dusted with it and probably would be for weeks. Sophie’s roughly drawn bunnies with their uneven ears and over sized tails adorned both sides of the card and the glittery blobs in the corners must have been intended as Easter Eggs. Yup. It was definitely made with Aster in mind.

“Awww, this is awesome, Bunny. You know she loves you.” He nudged Aster, who ducked his head almost shyly. Jack knew he adored the girl. The Burgess kids were all firm believers in the Guardians. Some latched on to one more than others, like Cupcake and Sandy, but Jack was there for all of them and would always be special. Only Sophie was different. She had never followed Jack and the other kids on their wild quests for fun. For her, Bunny had always come first. North had already given her a small plush Easter Bunny and there was a betting pool over when (not whether) she’d convince him to take her back to the Warren for a visit again.

“Ya know,” Aster began a bit wistfully, “there was a time once when I thought I would be a father.” 

Jack froze. This was uncharted territory. Aster had explained about the Pooka and his long, long history, but, well…Why talk about children when it was impossibility for both of them? 

“Pooka have rather large families. Always expected to get there too eventually.” He continued, staring out into the Warren. “Wasn’t to be, I suppose.”

“Aster-“ Crap. How did he respond to that? Sorry seemed pretty inadequate.

“Oh, don’t fret, Jackie.” Bunny shook himself, as if shaking away the melancholy air that had settled on them, and carefully took the card from Jack’s hands. “Just got me thinking is all.”

At a loss for what to do in the seriousness of the moment, Jack fell back on what he did best.

“So,” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and pressed into Aster’s side, “maybe less thinking and more doing?” 

Aster snorted and shoved him over. He was smiling fondly though. Jack stretched himself out, letting his hoodie ride up, and glanced at his lover from beneath his lashes. 

“Didn’t you miss me?” Bunny sighed and crossed his arms as if to refuse, but as soon as Jack closed his eyes he found himself pinned to the ground. “Yeah, you totally did.”

“Mmmm.” They don’t speak for a while after that, at least, not anything intelligible.

Sophie’s card is enshrined on Bunny’s mantle in all its sparkly glory. In the years to come, Jack would watch as the cards piled up. Eventually it changed, handmade cards replaced with cookies or books, but Sophie never forgot. 

She was seven when they had their first tea party in the Warren. It turned out to be quite the event, especially when her loose tooth was pulled out early by a bit of sticky caramel. Tooth gave them both an earful over that. North won the pool though, even if there was some rumbling about cheating because he’d given her the Easter themed tea set to begin with.

*****

The Father-Daughter dance was an exercise in frustration. Jamie escorted her, but her friends kept asking about her Dad. Sophie had finally talked about her biological father with her Mom. She wanted nothing to do with him and she really didn’t want to explain why to her friends. Besides, there was only one person who’d ever really felt like Dad to her. So Sophie gave in and told them that he lived in Australia and couldn’t afford to visit.

It snowballed from there.

Dad was tall and strong, a runner with greying hair. Dad was an artist and an avid gardener. Dad was an excellent listener, even from thousands of miles away. Dad was named was Aster, yes like the flower, and he had a boyfriend who came up with the best pranks. That last one had led to a lot of questions about how her parents had split up that she’d flat out refused to answer. Her best friend Emma hadn’t cared though, which was probably one of the reasons they’d gotten along so well.

Sophie had been to the Warren several times to draw and paint. Aster was her first and best teacher. She had one of his sketches taped inside her own sketchbook, a watercolour sunrise he’d painted on their first trip to Australia. When Mrs. Rodriguez in the Art department caught sight of it, she commented on the beauty of the piece and how artistic talent must run in the family. Sophie tried not to be too giddy about the comparison. 

When Graduation Day loomed, she asked Aster to come, knowing full well Jack would follow along with him. Thankfully, the June ceremony was in the air-conditioned gymnasium, which fit Burgess High’s graduating class and guests easily. Sophie spied them both settled up on the old balcony that was cordoned off from use. It had been a long time since anyone else her age had been able to see them the way she did. Even some of Jamie’s friends had stopped believing. Her brother had been really crushed by that. Not Sophie though. There had been a few years when, looking back, Bunny had been expecting it. He’d been waiting for her to outgrow him. He must have been surprised that she never had. Sophie suspected Jack had finally had enough and talked Aster out of his uncharacteristic pessimism, because after her twelfth birthday he’d been back to his old self and their visits had increased in frequency. 

She’d agonized in the Warren over where or even if she should apply for college. They didn’t have a lot of money and she hadn’t wanted her mother to feel bad about her indecision. Her mom was awesome. Sophie might never have applied without Aster’s encouragement though, so he was the first one she told when she got an acceptance letter from PennDesign. Somehow, they’d make it happen. Aster, Jamie and Jack had all been very insistent.

Her brother and her mom were sitting in the audience now, waving at her as she claimed her diploma and seated herself. She waved and pointed up to Jamie, who craned his neck back and grinned when he caught sight of Jack hanging off the balcony making faces.

The rest of her class finished and were seated together for a group shot.

“Smile!” cried the photographer. Sophie really didn’t need to be told, not with her own personal jester making a fool of himself. 

“I thought your Dad was going to be here.” Emma whispered to her between flashes. Aster was sitting on the balcony edge, pointedly ignoring Jack’s antics and clapping along with everyone else.

“He is.” Sophie beamed.


End file.
